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Weekend Away

While Anthony and I share lots of common interests (hiking, climbing, biking…), our respective favorite activities can seasonally take us in different directions as I hit the slopes for snowboarding in the winter and he takes his one-man kayak onto the water in summer. Springtime felt like an excellent time to head into the mountains together, so last weekend we made it happen. It was a somewhat spontaneous decision to book a getaway outside of Winter Park for some R&R and view-gazing.

After a quick birthday drink with a friend in Denver on Friday, we hit the road and headed up to our secluded haven. We stayed at a quaint bed and breakfast, which was a first for us and, not gonna lie, a little odd. We arrived at the lodge after the front desk hours were over, and they had left us a note on the front door, directing us to our room (“next to the video library and board game shelf”), which stood open and inviting with the door wide open. Nope, we are not at the Hilton tonight! In fact, it felt more like we were staying in someone’s parents’ house, complete with the sounds of snoring in one of the adjacent rooms, echoing off the vaulted ceilings through thin walls. We whispered and giggled about it, and also enjoyed the refreshing mountain air from the balcony as we settled in for our first night.

The next morning, we awoke and continued our “adventure” in the lodge, joining a group of folks far outside of our age range for a lovely breakfast. We had pleasant conversation with some of our lodge-mates, finding that many of them are regulars and had some good tips about the area. Embracing the spirit of this experience, we took the advice of an older couple who told us where to go to eat in town, and after a walk through the cabin-filled area, stopped for lunch at a great taco joint, per their recommendation.

After lunch, we headed over to Granby for a reservation we had made to go horseback riding at a local ranch. It was only an hour long ride, and was slow moving as our horses post-holed through the deep, slushy snow, but it was still full of beautiful views and interesting anecdotes from our guides. We hope to be able to go back and enjoy a longer ride in the summer!

After playing cowboy, we decided to head over to Grand Lake, a town we have visited before but knew held a good local brewery. Prior to grabbing beers, we decided to get in a small hike on a short trail that we had visited last summer with my family, but had previously only waited at the trailhead because we couldn’t bring Olive along on the walk. This time, since our pup was back in Denver, we were able to get in and see the falls that mark the popular trail.

When we returned back to town, in search of the brewery, we went up and down the main drag several times, dubious as to where it was located. After several “I swear it was right here”s from us both, we finally gave up and stopped in a local pub for a drink instead, where we learned from the bartender that the brewery was, in fact, no longer there.

When we had finished our drinks, we headed back to the lodge for a little nap and relaxation, after which we went to a delicious restaurant that, again, came from the advice of the older couple in the lodge. It did not disappoint, and was a great meal to close out our trip. We spent the rainy evening afterward watching 80’s VHS tapes on the “vintage” TV/VCR combo, and playing board games in front of the fireplace, while we enjoyed the inn’s complimentary wine and cookies.

The next morning, we awoke to another great home-cooked breakfast, and then hit the road. After a wintery drive back to Denver, we were greeted by a gorgeous spring day at home, and spent the rest of our Sunday relaxing in our little urban oasis, gazing up at our blooming trees from the comfort of our hammocks. There’s something about going through all of the seasons in 48 hours that makes living in this region so special, and we were lucky to have gotten the chance to enjoy them all in our little mini-vacation. As we jump into some big projects and plans for the next couple weeks, I’m glad we were able to carve out this weekend away to reconnect.

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One thought on “Weekend Away”

Sounds like a fabulous weekend getaway! Our schedules are so busy these days (and never seem to match up) that when we have an opportunity to spend even a Sunday together, it is amazing. Relaxing. Rejuvenating. And thankfully with some better weather, mostly spent outside.

Nic and I were in Granby years and years ago (I think we were seniors in college?) with his family. The only things I really remember was a cute downtown some great snowshoeing.